I Spy (2002)

3 out of 4

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson, Famke Janssen, Malcolm McDowell, Gary Cole

Director: Betty Thomas

Time: 95 mins

I Spy, a movie version of the TV series starring Bill Cosby and Robert Culp, represents the first of the upcoming potential holiday season blockbusters (to be headlined by the likes of the latest instalments in the Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rngs, and James Bond sagas). While I haven't seen the TV show, the film is another iteration of the mismatched buddies caper movie whose most recent incarnation was the Chris Rock/Anthony Hopkins disaster Bad Company. With an energetic Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson heading the cast, however, I Spy is a formulaic but effervescent and often funny action/comedy/adventure.

Alexander Scott (Wilson) is a Bureau of National Security agent, who, in between assigments, is simultaneously envious of fellow superspy Carlos (Gary Cole) and his gadgets, and in love with the sexy Rachel (Famke Janssen). Kelly Robinson (Murphy) is a world boxing champion who is enlisted by the US president to help out on a special mission. Scott and Robinson join forces with Rachel to determine the location of a stealth jet that has been acquired by Gundars (Malcolm McDowell), a shadowy operator in Budapest, Hungary. What follows is a hilarious set of misadventures as Scott and Robinson fumble their way around the city, trying to escape being killed by the enemy, and also trying not to kill each other.

I Spy sticks to a formula of comedy and action setpieces, fuelled by Murphy and Wilson's error-prone activities, Murphy's motor-mouthed antics, and Wilson's laconic charm. There are a couple of very funny scenes, including a Roxanne- (and hence, Cyrano de Bergerac) inspired moment where Wilson tries to seduce Janssen with the aid of an earpiece and Murphy's suave tactics and smooth talk. The action scenes won't make you hang on to your seat, but there is enough energy invested in them to keep the pace fast. And, at a little over an hour and a half in length, I Spy doesn't overstay its welcome.

Though Murphy's collaboration with Robert De Niro earlier this year, Showtime, was a box office failure, I thought Murphy himself was quite funny. In I Spy he extends his sassy protagonist persona with another humorous performance, which should go a fair way towards erasing the memory of Pluto Nash, his recent, late summer clunker. In some ways, his Kelly Robinson reminds one of his voice performance for Shrek's Donkey. Wilson, who has been a solid comic sidekick in films like Shanghai Noon, as well as occasional action hero (Behind Enemy Lines), parlays his charisma into creating another likable character. It's not a standout performance, but his chemistry with Murphy propels the story just when it needs to. Famke Janssen is sexy and sultry, and Gary Cole hams it up as the superspy that Wilson is jealous of. McDowell plays another bad guy, but he has so little to do he doesn't even come across as villainous. This doesn't really matter, though, as the movie is more about Murphy and Wilson anyway.

As an early entry in the holiday box office sweepstakes, the film has enough laughs and action to gather a decent amount of coin. It's just as well it's been given a two-week head start on the Harry Potter juggernaut, for it could easily have faded out of the picture. For a weekend afternoon diversion, however, you can do a lot worse than watching I Spy.

(c) Joe Wong (2 November 2002)